Raja Ampat Indonesia is one of the favorite vacation destinations for tourists from all over the world. Its nature and underwater stunning scenery are the…

Flights from Jakarta to Sorong Indonesia to Visit Raja Ampat

By rai2 on September 5, 2018

Raja Ampat maybe is a dream place for many avid divers in the world. A tropical archipelago with steep, jungle-covered islands, surrounded by white-sand beaches and luminous turquoise waters is certainly something that will make everyone drools and wish to get here ASAP. However, there is no international airport available in Raja Ampat, but you can fly to Sorong first. There are some flights from Jakarta to Sorong Indonesia that you can choose.

Going to Sorong from Jakarta

There are no international flights into Sorong, and there are also no direct flights to Sorong from Bali. So, you might have to think twice if you intend to go to Raja Ampat from Bali. There are several ways you can go to Sorong. Basically, you can go there from four major cities in Indonesia namely Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Manado. But right now, let’s talk about how to get to Raja Ampat from Jakarta.

There are two airports in Jakarta from where you can get to Sorong Airport Indonesia. They are Halim Perdanakusumah (HLP) and Soekarno-Hatta Cengkareng Airport (CGK). There are several flights available for this destination, they are Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, and Sriwijaya Air that fly for 7 days a week. There is also NAM Air that flies to Sorong on Sunday only.

Checking the Flight Schedule

One of the things you need to prepare before you go to Raja Ampat is checking the schedule of flights from Jakarta to Sorong Indonesia. There are many websites today that provide information about flight schedule and even provide cheaper flight tickets. You can try Skyscanner, Traveloka, Tiket.com or Ticket2Indonesia websites to check the flight availability. However, many international credit cards do not work on Indonesian websites, but there is no trouble paying by card using Garuda’s website.

This website is easy to use since it is really user-friendly. You only need to pick the airport where you’re going to depart from, for example, Jakarta, and choose Sorong as the destination. Pick the departure date and Jakarta to Sorong Flight Time will appear on your screen. Then, you can choose one flight that is the most suitable for your vacation schedule. It takes approximately 5 hours from Jakarta to Sorong with the ticket prices range from IDR 1.5 million to IDR 3 million for economy class flight.

Continue the Journey from Sorong to Raja Ampat

After your flights from Jakarta to Sorong Indonesia, you are not done yet. Upon arriving in Sorong, you need to continue your journey to Waisai in Raja Ampat. Although there is no big airport in Raja Ampat, you can still fly to Waisai airport from Sorong. However, there are only two flights available per week to Waisai, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The flights are organized by Susi Airline and only uses a small plane with limited capacity.

Other ways to go to Waisai is by sea from Sorong harbor. Once you arrive at Domine Eduard Osok Airport in Sorong, you should go to Sorong harbor. There are taxi and motorcycle taxi available. However, since there is no standard tariff for this transportation mode, you might want to bargain the price with the driver before you order their service. Therefore, you can get the best price.

Arriving at the port, you can choose either public ferries or speedboat to continue your journey to Waisai in Raja Ampat. There are three companies that operate ferries between Sorong and Waisai, the Bahari Express, Marina Express, and PT Fajar. Bahari Expert operates their ferries twice a day at 9 am to 2 pm from Sorong to Waisai, and at the same time from Waisai to Sorong. The tickets range about IDR 100,000 for economy class and IDR 150,000 for a VIP.

Marina Express has two routes with two different boats. Between Sorong and Misool, and also between Waisai and Misool. You can use this ferry if you want to visit Misool Island first in Raja Ampat. The last company is PT Fajar that runs its ferry from Sorong to Waisai at 9 am and from Waisai to Sorong at 2 pm. Note that the schedule can change suddenly without prior notice. So make sure that you always check the current information.

If you’re in a hurry and want to arrive directly at your accommodation, charter a speedboat can be the best choice. However, it can be far more expensive and a lot less comfortable. So if you get seasick easily, this might not be the right option for you.

Going from Waisai to the Islands in Raja Ampat

If your accommodation is not located in Waisai, you will need another transport to get there. The easiest way is by asking a pickup when you book your accommodation. They will be reminded to pick you up at Waisai upon your arrival. However, it is also a good idea to send them an SMS when you are boarding the ferry in Sorong.

The cost of transfer from Waisai to the Islands can be quite expensive. Sometimes it is even more expensive than it should be. Always let your host know if you think the price the driver offered is too expensive.

Going around hopping from one island to another sometimes can be difficult since there is no inter-island public transport available. But it is possible to transfer from one homestay to another. You only need to ask your host to arrange a boat going to your next homestay. You can also call your destination homestay so that they can send a pickup for you. However, it will be best for you to organize the transfer one or two days before your actual departure.

Now, those are the information we can give you about flights from Jakarta to Sorong Indonesia, and how to continue from Sorong to your destination in Raja Ampat. Judging from the long distance, and how long it is to get to Raja Ampat, this journey seems too tiring. However, you will forget all the things that make you tired along the way. All of the efforts you do to get to Raja Ampat will be paid off with the amazing beauty of this hidden paradise. So, what are you waiting for?